No matter how far along you are in bar prep, it's a good idea to start taking MBE practice questions or even full on MBE practice exams. But it's crucial that you're approaching MBE questions with the proper technique, especially under a timed format. So, we're going to show you how approaching MBE questions correctly will yield correct answers.
1. Identify questions by subject matter.
One reason the MBE is particularly difficult is that the examiners don't identify each question by subject. Thus, for any given MBE question, you don't know what subject you're dealing with at first blush.
But you can work to recognize the subject while you’re reading the question without messing with your focus on the substance of the question.
2. Don't start at the beginning.
When you first see an MBE question, try looking at the call of the question instead of starting from the beginning. The call is the statement or question following the mini fact pattern in most MBE questions.
The call will usually give away the subject, and might even indicate what you're looking for within that subject. If you can't figure out or narrow down the subject based on the call of the question, you can also glance at the answer choices.
Together with the call of the question, the answer choices will probably give you enough information to identify the subject, or even the topic within the subject.
3. Read the entire question.
After quickly glancing at the call of the question and/or answer choices, carefully read the entire question from the beginning with the subject in mind. This approach enables you to read the question with full focus.
Your natural instinct when you approach any question is to try to identify the subject. If you're trying to do this while reading the fact pattern, you're putting yourself at risk of becoming distracted and/or missing something.
It's also important to mark up and underline every question. This helps you to stay active as a reader, a critical tool for MBE success.
4. Work to eliminate bad answers.
When it comes to answer choices, you should work to eliminate instead of working to identify the correct answer. Oftentimes, the MBE will give you two very close answers, both of which seem right.
Think about why an answer choice might be wrong over why it may be right. This will help you weed out incorrect answers.
Finally, you can't answer any MBE question unless you've learned and memorized the material - make sure you've nailed that down!
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* MBE and MEE Essay Flashcards that help you learn and memorize key bar exam concepts, effectively and affordably.
